Cain throws 3 shutout innings, Giants top Angels

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Matt Cain pitched three shutout innings in his first start of the spring and Pablo Sandoval hit a pair of RBI singles as the San Francisco Giants defeated the Los Angeles Angels 3-2 Wednesday.

Cain will start the second game of the regular season at Arizona. He couldn't throw in his first scheduled spring game on Saturday because of rain and instead threw 35 pitches in a covered bullpen session.

Cain gave up one hit, a second-inning double by Collin Cowgill, and struck out two.

Sandoval, slimmer after losing nearly 30 pounds during the offseason, got his hits off Jered Weaver, who pitched four innings and gave up two runs and four hits with two walks and struck out two.

STARTING TIME

Angels: Weaver, 1-0 entering the game, started off on the wrong foot in the bottom of the first inning when left fielder Brennan Bosch dropped leadoff man Gregor Blanco's shallow fly ball in the sun along the left-field line. Bosch later scored on Sandoval's first hit. Weaver took the loss.

"Weaver threw well," said Angels manager Mike Scioscia. "He located his fastball. He puts (speed) off and puts it on."

Giants: Cain continued a strong start for the club's five projected starters, who now have combined for 17 innings, allowing just one run on nine hits and one walk in six games.

"We (pitchers) haven't said much to each other. We know that's what we need to do," said Cain, who is 1-0.

"You've got that competitive edge, and it felt good," said Cain, who slipped to 8-10 in 2013 after going 16-5 the previous season. "I felt good. I was throwing good pitches, trying to get ahead of guys."

TRAINER'S ROOM

Angels: Outfielder Josh Hamilton will be out for at least another week as he allows a strained left calf to heal.

Giants: Second baseman Marco Scutaro (back) isn't expected to make his spring debut until this weekend at the earliest.

PUJOLS' GOAL

Angels first baseman Albert Pujols is staying true to his word that if he feels good, he will be in the lineup, and not just as a DH.

He surprised some by starting his second straight game in the field on Wednesday and got his first hit of the spring.

"He asked to be in there. He's moving around great," Scioscia said, adding that Pujols would not play on Thursday against the Dodgers in Tempe, Ariz.

Pujols, who signed a 10-year, $240 million contract after the 2011 season, missed the last two months of 2013 with a partially torn plantar fascia in his left foot. He hit .258 with 17 home runs and 64 RBIs. He enters the 2014 regular season needing eight homers to become the 26th player in major-league history to hit 500 for his career.

MORE FOR MORSE?

Giants left fielder Michael Morse hit nine home runs while with Seattle in the spring of 2013.

He has yet to hit one over the fence in 2014, but is getting closer. He hit a run-scoring double in the fifth inning, his first extra-base hit and first RBI of the spring.